Cable ferries are vehicles used for crossing rivers and canals using cable system, which is connected to both sides of the shore. Cable system is usually a steel cable and may be located either under water or above water. Cable ferries are well known since middle ages and used by many civilizations. Since cable ferries may be towed by pulling the cable from either side of the shore, the ship or the barge do not need to be powered on its own. Since the route of the cable ferry is necessarily determined by the cable that tows the boat, its operation is not affected by weather elements like fog, wind or river currents. In some cable ferry applications the boat may have its own engine power to pull the cable in order to provide the necessary propulsion toward the destination. The mentioned examples of related art are intended to be illustrative rather than exclusive. Current cable ferry designs are well known to those who are skilled in art.
As the environmental consciousness of the world increases, there are attempts to utilize cable ferries more frequently in environmentally friendly ways. Askgaard, in his publication US2010/0233918 A1 teaches a way of using electrically operated flywheel for operating cable ferry for carrying people and vehicles for short distance transportation.
This application intends to increase versatility of the cable ferry by providing multiple destinations as well as computer controlled operation.